Kuka’ilimoku sculpture illustrated here (FIG. 33-19) stood in a heiau
(temple) on the island of Hawaii, where Kamehameha I originally
ruled before expanding his authority to the entire Hawaiian chain.
This late-18th- or early-19th-century Hawaiian wooden temple im-
age, more than four feet tall, confronts its audience with a ferocious
expression. The war god’s head comprises nearly a third of his entire
body. His enlarged, angled eyes and wide-open figure-eight-shaped
mouth, with its rows of teeth, convey aggression and defiance. His
muscular body appears to stand slightly flexed, as if ready to act. The
artist realized this Hawaiian war god’s overall athleticism through the
full-volume, faceted treatment of his arms, legs, and the pectoral area
of the chest. In addition to sculptures of deities such as this, Hawaiians
placed smaller versions of lesser deities and ancestral images in the
heiau. Differing styles have surfaced in the various islands of the
Hawaiian chain, but the sculptured figures share a tendency toward
athleticism and expressive defiance.
New Zealand
The Maori of New Zealand (Aotearoa) share many cultural practices
with other Polynesian societies. As in other cultures, ancestors and
lineage play an important role.
MEETINGHOUSES The Maori meetinghouses demonstrate
the primacy of ancestral connections. The Maori conceptualize the
entire building as the body of an ancestor. The central beam across
the roof is the spine, the rafters are ribs, and the barge boards (the
angled boards that outline the house gables) in front represent
arms. Construction of the Mataatua meetinghouse (FIG. 33-20) at
Whakatane began in 1871 and took four years to complete. The lead
sculptor was Wepiha Apanuiof the Ngati Awa clan. On the inside
of the meetinghouse, ancestors constitute a potent presence through
their appearance on poupou (the relief panels along the walls). The
panels depict specific ancestors, each of which appears frontally
with hands across the stomach. The elaborate curvilinear patterns
covering the entire poupou may represent tattoos. Decoration ap-
pears on virtually every surface of the meetinghouse. In the spaces
between the poupou are tukutuku (stitched lattice panels). Above,
intricate painted shapes cover the rafters. In the center of the meet-
inghouse stand pou tokomanawa,sculptures of ancestors that sup-
port the building’s ridgepoles (not visible in FIG. 33-20). The com-
posite presence of all of these ancestral images and of the energetic,
persistent patterning creates a charged space for the initiation of
collective action.33-20Wepiha Apanui,Mataatua meetinghouse (view of interior), Maori, Whakatane, New Zealand,
Polynesia, 1871–1875.
Maori meetinghouses feature elaborate decoration. In this late-19th-century example, Wepiha Apanui
carved figures of ancestors along the interior walls. The patterns on their bodies may be tattoos.Polynesia 88533-20ATe
Hau-ki-Turanga
meeting house,
1842–1845.